Enjoy a big plate of extra crispy, extra loaded sweet potato skins in no time! This game-time favorite is hard to resist.
I made these loaded sweet potato skins for the Eagles game last weekend. I wasn’t planning to share the recipe because let’s face it… they’re just potato skins. But that’s exactly why I should share this recipe: cheesy, bacon-topped potato skin goodness. The plate disappeared before 1st quarter had ended.
But seriously. A great potato skin is really everything you want out of comfort food/game food grub. Salty and crispy, with enough starchy weight to satisfy your hunger. My ideal potato skin is cut thin so that it’s not just a twice-baked potato. Nor is it a pencil thin, crunchy piece of potato skin. How disappointing. Rather, the potato should be cooked just right with the best of the best toppings. Crispy real bacon, not bits out of a can. Sour cream, chives, and a whole lotta melted cheese.
And if you love potato skins as much as I do, you have to try them with sweet potatoes. Dare I say they’re even better than regular potato skins. Plus you get all the fiber, vitamin A, and other good stuff. Orange for the win.
Video Tutorial
Loaded sweet potato skins are so simple. The potatoes are hollowed out, leaving just enough edge, then filled back up with the mashed sweet potato. I highly recommend mashing the sweet potatoes with a little milk to make the filling smooth and extra creamy. Top the filled skins with cheese, bake, add bacon, enjoy.
Crunch, crunch, crunch. The trick to their crisp? After hollowing out the skins, drizzle them with olive oil. Don’t leave it out! Once drizzled, bake the potato skins for about 10 minutes before filling them.
Voila! Extra crispy skins.
When I’m feeling like something a little healthier, I add a little garlicky spinach to the filling. This is how I do it: three handfuls of spinach cooked down on the stove with 1 clove of minced garlic and 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Mash this into the sweet potato filling and fill the hollowed out skins as directed below. Then, I usually top each filled skin with 1 Tablespoon of shredded cheese. And I skip the bacon. Bake, and enjoy with a salad—makes a great, meat-free healthy meal. Try it!
These crispy skins are becoming a game-time staple.
Can’t get enough sweet potatoes? Try sweet potato casserole, candied sweet potatoes, sweet potato turkey chili, or cinnamon sugar sweet potato fries next.
Print
Loaded Sweet Potato Skins
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 potato skins
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Enjoy a big plate of extra crispy, extra loaded sweet potato skins in no time! This game-time favorite is hard to resist.
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup milk*
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup shredded cheese (I use half sharp cheddar and half mozzarella)
- 4 strips bacon, cooked until crispy, and crumbled
- for serving: sour cream and chopped chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Pierce each sweet potato a few times and bake for 40-50 minutes or until soft. Allow the potatoes to cool slightly. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise.
- Reduce oven temperature to 375°F (191°C). Scoop out sweet potato flesh, leaving a thin layer of sweet potato inside, and add flesh to a medium bowl. Place skins back on the baking sheet face up, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes.
- Mash the sweet potato flesh with milk, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy. After 10 minutes, remove the skins from the oven. Fill each with an equal amount of mashed sweet potato and top each with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and top with bacon. Serve with sour cream and chopped chives, if desired.
- Skins are best enjoyed immediately. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowl | Rubber Spatula
- Milk: Buttermilk, whole milk, or half-and-half is best. Try to avoid low fat milks. You want a very thick, creamy mash.
- Larger Batch: Recipe may easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd.
I’m wondering if I am doing step 3 and complete filling the skins with mashed potatoes, can I then refrigerate them for 4-6 hrs and then top with cheese and bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted? Thanks, Gail
Hi Gail, that should work just fine.
I’m wondering if you have any input on a “loaded sweet potato skin” that would use some form of dried cherries. Thanks for any advice.
Gail
Hi Gail, we haven’t tested anything, but you could certainly try adding some dried cherries here. Or even do a quick search for some inspiration. Let us know what you decide to try!
Thanks, Lexi. For now, I’m sticking with the bacon recipe and the spinach recipe. I would like to know if these can be made ahead and if you can freeze them. Also, and this shows what a novice I am, can you use sour cream instead of buttermilk, whole milk or half-and-half?
Gail
Hi Gail, the baked potato skins should freeze well for up to 3 months. We don’t recommend using sour cream in the mash—you really need a liquid to help thin it out a bit.
We love these.
It’s time consuming but delicious! I used almond milk even though I had heavy cream but I’m going low fat.
Hi Sally, how far in advance can I prepare this recipe.
Hi Sally, can I substitute white potatoes instead of sweet potatoes.
Sure can! Enjoy!
They look absolutely amazing, I HAVE to try them… only, could someone please explain what does it means to put the skins “face up”? Which way is it?
Greetings from a polish fan 🙂
Hi Aleksandra! Skin side down. 🙂
I have to say that this sweet potato skin is looking amazingly delicious. I just put ham instead of bacon and is still so delicious. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
I tried these tonight and they were delicious! I added garlic and smoked paprika when mixing the sweet potato together. And my bf doesn’t eat pork so I used turkey bacon. Even without the sour cream, which I love but forgot to buy, these were so tasty! I was skeptical about adding the cheese but in the end it all came together. 😀
I don’t know about sweet potato but I do love cheese on anything
These were so delicious. Topped with parmesan and added the chives to the mash as I didn’t have any sour cream. Will be making these again!
I was excited to make these but found that the sweet potatoes just tasted odd as potato skins. Too sweet for the savory toppings. Maybe it was the specific type I bought, which seemed more suited to be mashed with butter and cinnamon. Thanks, in any case!
Sally, these look so incredibly yummy! I’m thinking these are super bowl food right here. Do you think I could use red potatoes instead of sweet? I need to use up some red potatoes. I SO value your input on this, thank you!
Red potatoes work, yes!
Wow – tried these tonight and they were amazing, one of the tastiest things I’ve ever eaten. Your recipes are awesome and the method is great for a beginner cook like myself. Thanks so much!!!
Make these and chicken wings for a semi-healthy night of football watching. These are great! I mixed some of the cheese into the sweet potato mash to give it a little more body. Will definitely make again. Thanks for sharing.